Fishing in Mullaperiyar’s troubled waters

Imperialism in India left behind many vexatious, intractable and rather insoluble problems.  The states and the nation are still struggling to come to terms with them. The ongoing Mullaperiyar Dam controversy exacerbating the relations between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is one of them.

The controversy centres on Kerala’s insistence on reducing the water level in the dam to 120 feet from the present dangerous level of 136 feet along with the construction of a new dam to replace the existing one and Tamil Nadu’s obstinate opposition to both.

The construction of the dam in Kerala in 1895 manned and controlled by the colonial administration in Madras on land leased for 999 years was based on the colonial illusion that British rule in India was for eternity. With the disappearance of British rule, the dam should have also disappeared without allowing it to remain a cause of concern for two neighbouring states in the post-British era.

If the dam did not disappear, it is mainly because India still lacks the spirit of federalism the fostering of which is integral to strengthening its federal polity as envisaged by the Constitution; and much-needed institutional mechanisms to settle inter-state disputes amicably.

As an archaic dam constructed about 116 years ago, Kerala’s apprehension that it would burst any time is well founded and has to be taken as real as no state can afford to wait and watch it crash and then say, oh yes, the threat was real, the dam has crashed. That apart, no state can allow its people to live in a perennial state of fear; and when the dam is perceived as a threat to life and property by an overwhelming section of the population the first thing the state should do is decommission it.

Seen from this perspective, the Kerala government’s approach to solve the problem amicably by ensuring its people’s safety and water to Tamil Nadu is laudable and pragmatic. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has made it unequivocal that the barren districts in Tamil Nadu that depend on the reservoir would not lose even a single drop of its share even if a proposed dam were to come up.

If the dam controversy has turned violent causing bitterness among hapless people of both states it is mainly because of small-time politicians trying to fish in troubled waters. A case in point is the aggressive postures of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko, who has been waiting for an opportunity to return to political limelight.

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has been too good to Kerala. Her good deeds include her gift of an elephant to the Guruvayur temple a few years ago; and her faith in Kerala astrologers, on whose advice she reportedly gifted the elephant and added an ‘a’ at the end of her name. In all probability she would have acted as a real puraitchi thalaivi (revolutionary leader) on the dam controversy had she obtained proper advice on what she should do to prevent an impending dam disaster.

It is not late for Jayalalithaa to act. She should turn the promise of assured water from the new dam into an inter-state deal; she could even walk that extra mile of sharing the cost of the new dam. These will restore peace and harmony in both states, keep the Vaikos away from mischief, and give some sleep to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is incapable of influencing

Jayalalithaa. All said, the measure of all measures of federalism in a federal polity is how the states get along with and go to the rescue of each other through symbiotic deeds. It is for Jayalalithaa to set the example as Oommen Chandy, her counterpart in Kerala, is desperately waiting for her call.

Contrary to the above, by waiting for the dam disaster, Jayalalithaa will be inviting a political tsunami in Tamil Nadu; for if the dam crashes, apart from bearing the brunt of the whole blame from Kerala, Jayalalithaa will also have to bear the brunt of the  blame by thousands of farmers in Tamil Nadu who have been irrigating their lands with water from Mullaperiyar in about 70,000 hectares in five districts, which they may not get any longer, and by opportunistic politicians who are just waiting to unseat her from power.